Injectors aren't firing, possible ECU failure
well, as it happens the epoxy is just an upper layer, whereas most of the board is covered by the gray silicone.
I still have no update on the ECU.. but i surely think it's heat related as you said.
if i somehow manage to fix this ECU - i will mount it inside the car. it would be interesting to see how this pans out.
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So Fitech is using the grey silicon as a way of isolating the heat away from the board along with the epoxy. I think it is a special material other than just silicon. It probably prevents thermal transfer from the housing to the ECU. Smart. The issue with remote mounting the ECU will be the MAP Sensor as it is part of the logic. Not sure what effect desoldering it from the logic and adding leads are going to do with readings. You will need to extend alot of the harness that connects to ejectors, IAC, TPS, etc. For me I am going route of mounting a 12v computer fan in front of the ecu that will cool it while driving and stay on for minutes after engine is shut off.
My plan is to use a small vacuum hose and T it into the manifold pressure (as boost controllers usually do) that way the electronics stays the same.
do note that while driving the heat isn't bad as the air moving from speed/radiator fan(s) is making the TB (with my insulator at least - edelbrock 9266) pretty cool at around ~127F on a hot day from my tests. only after parking for an hour+ then temps rise to ~176F.
also, as you said, it is somewhat thermally isolated so the PC fan might not do much.
what i do think may help is adding some plastic (or other thermally insulating material) washers between the TB and ECU, and under the ECU bolts.
the added space shouldn't effect sealing for the map if done correctly =]
i've also added the MAP sensors - there are 2 - one is atmospheric pressure and the other is inside the intake. both are the same but with different upper plate for the 2 types of uses here.
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Now thinking more about that grey material, it may be a thermal pad that transfers heat from the ECU board to the housing as the housing is aluminum and a great heat sink. We use thermal pads in computers as a way of transferring heat from the memory chips on graphics card to a heat sink. They work very well. If that is the case, and I will ask Fitech, my fan ideal will work. But your way in the long run is the better approach. I am hoping Fitech or Holly will release a new model with a external ECU or better at some point we all are gong to have to convert ours cars to electric as gas prices and regulations change down the road ( I can already hear all the people yelling when they read this part. ) Personally I look forward to electrifying my classic, so much less issues to deal with.
what do plan to ask fitech exactly? let me know the answer as well.
the silicone i believe is more of an insulator to protect from water/dust/debris to protect the circuitry, though it might have thermal conductivity properties too =]
Fitech does have a model, which if I knew better - i would have gotten it... https://fitechefi.com/product/30021-go-efi-classic-black-550hp-system-2/
main difference is the external ECU, and no built in fuel pressure regulator..
I believe electric in its current form is way worse than economic gas/diesel since the waste of the batteries is overlooked and the lithium will be harder and harder to get by as it is mined.
electric is good as it is used on trains/trams and the likes... but out on the pavement - it's short lived as true "green".
we'll see what will happen, but i would always want my engine to be a rumblin' V8
I have asked them if the grey compound is to transfer heat from the circuits on the board to the housing. No response yet, but will let you know if I get a answer. They are very slow to answer questions now a days. Too many users having issues I guess. That is great news that they have a unit with a external cpu. It will be the way to go if the ECU unit on my unit dies. Though I dont know why they didn't provide a fuel regulator with the unit. But at least I can mount the ecu in the car close to the floor vents so they are constantly getting cool air. It looks like I wont need to put a fan on my unit after all as I am not having any heat issues as my electric fan, PWM fan controller and the heat spacer between the Fitech and intake is doing a fantastic job of keeping it cool. This week was a hot week and on my way to a car cruise I was stock in traffic and once I got to the the show I checked the fitech, and it was cool to the touch and still cool to the touch 15 minutes later as my fan runs at full blast for a few minutes after I shut off my car. You are correct electric is still in its early stages, but will vastly improve in 10 to 15 years from now as major improvements come and most manufactures going all electric . Where you live you may not have a issue getting cheap gas 10 to 15 years from now, but here in Canada with all these green heads and their ever increasing BS carbon taxes; which do nothing; will make gas not affordable anymore..........
most techs won't know the answer too, i guess.
i guess they omitted the regulator there for esthetics reasons as it supposed to be as the classic carb look.
the thing is - mine just died without any notice, just didn't start. so even if all looks well - i guess it might happen. mine got to the hottest point at around 1 hour of heat soak. and here in israel it's hot most days haha...
regarding green stuff, gas is still as "cheap" as it always was "ish" (2USD a liter), but what i'm saying that todays "solutions" aren't really good in the long run. we'll see i guess =]
BlackthOrne, any update on your Fitech? Never did get a answer to what the gray silicon is or what it's purpose.
As of now I’m waiting for the 3rd ECU. Not shipped yet.
but After taking apart the 2nd ecu, I found out what’s causing the resets though. Apparently the main yellow wire didn’t have any voltage on it at the board.
And after a check on the fuse- I found that it was bad (and cheap AF) - it looked good, but produced 1+mega ohms of resistance.
and since in the “2nd generation” ecu had the main feed wire split into 3- yellow,brown and red, they somehow provided enough "juice to reset the ecu.
so it was mostly my fault for not checking with another fuse, or testing it with a multimeter earlier.. but it was their cheap fuse that was broke.
so now that is my candidate for a remote ECU - I’m assembling some parts, wires and connectors and am waiting for some shipments to arrive to continue with this project- will update when things get done.
regarding the grey matter- I believe it does have heat transfer properties and elements resistance - it’s this product I believe-
I hope your 3rd ECU is a newer version and FiTech have resolved issues with the ECU. The stupid thing is they should also send you a new harness with the ecu as they had issues with undersized connectors for battery and fuel pump.Since they haven't shipped it, ask them with they can send you a new harness just in case. Something in your car is killing the ECU as you have had 2 die back to back. Maybe EMI interference as I read some ECU's going bad due to bad EMI. Look at this Youtube video how a guy shielded his wires. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ahW8KyF2hw When testing fuses, I use the continuity feature on my multimeter as with ohms and certain multimeters, it can give you false readings. Correct me if I am wrong, but you feed 12v s to the yellow wire from the battery and the relay on the ecu controls power? You had the Main Relay Code which makes me think its the relay on the ecu was bad or the fuse was bad. But why have a external and internal fuse on main power feed. Stupid. Also they should make the relays on the ECU external, so you can replace them. If my ECU goes bad on my Fitech, I am switching to Holly Sniper as there is better support and they are getting better reviews from users